Quercus ajoensis

Quercus ajoensis is an uncommon North American shrub with the common name Ajo Mountain shrub oak. It has been found in Arizona mountain ranges of the Colorado desert, and Arizona uplands of the Sonoran desert.[3][4] Q. ajoensis integrates with Q. turbinella and is difficult to determine specimen identification due to hybridization. It appears that this species is an elevation variant of Q. turbinella and is best treated as a subspecies or variety as it has been treated in the past. The status of Q. ajoensis as a species is probably unnecessary due to complete integration with Q. turbinella or it being a low elevation variant of Q. turbinella.[5]

Ajo Mountain Shrub oak
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fagales
Family: Fagaceae
Genus: Quercus
Subgenus: Quercus subg. Quercus
Section: Quercus sect. Quercus
Species:
Q. ajoensis
Binomial name
Quercus ajoensis
Natural range of Quercus ajoensis
Synonyms[2]
  • Quercus turbinella var. ajoensis (C.H.Mull.) Little
  • Quercus turbinella subsp. ajoensis (C.H.Mull.) Felger & C.H.Lowe

Q. ajoensis is usually a shrub but occasionally attains the stature of small trees up to 3 m (10 feet) tall. Leaves are narrowly egg-shaped, up to 5 cm (2 inches) long, with sharp pointed teeth.[5]

The species is named for the Ajo Mountains in western Pima County, Arizona, southwest of the town of Ajo. The species does not occur as an identifiable species outside the Ajo mountain range and most specimens are of integrated types with Q. turbinella.[5] The word "ajo" is Spanish for "garlic."

References
  1. "Quercus ajoensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015. 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2017. data
  2. "Quercus ajoensis C.H.Mull.". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew – via The Plant List.
  3. SEINet, Southwestern biodiversity, Arizona chapter
  4. "Quercus ajoensis". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014.
  5. Nixon, Kevin C. (1997). "Quercus ajoensis". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). 3. New York and Oxford – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
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